Umbra

Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Vic
Music: Cough Syrup by Young The Giant

I had a strange feeling. I was cool but not necessarily cold. I felt like I was underwater, but I wasn't wet, plus I was breathing. I felt more alive than oxygen could ever make me feel, but that ended as soon as I hit the ground hard on my back. The breath was knocked out of me and I struggled to sit up.

"Sorry I didn't have time to warn you about the landing," Felix said. He offered me a hand to help me up.

"Where are we?" I ask taking his offer and letting him pull me off the floor. It looked like we were in a bedroom. Someone neat had to occupy it. The bed was neatly made. The blankets were a dark grey. Most of the furniture was black. Pictures were on the desk and a dozen books were on the bookshelf.

"We're in Phaige Manor in Umbralice," Felix said.

"Where? Is that near Seattle?" I ask. I've never heard of a place called Umbralice before.

"The Shadow Dimensions," Felix said.

"Shadow what?" I ask.

"I'll explain later. Just follow me." Felix opened the door and walked into the hallway. He obviously knew the place well. I had no choice but to follow.

Felix glanced into a room, then kept walking. Out of curiosity I glanced in too. It was a girls room, but that's all I got before Felix said, "Don't be nosy Victor." He walked down a flight of stairs.

"You looked too," I say following him.

"Well I happen to know her on a highly personal level," Felix replied. I rolled my eyes.

I took the next few minutes to observe the hallway we were currently walking down. The walls were dark and the floors were covered in a rich, dark red carpet.

"What's with the vampire colors?" I ask.

"That's something you don't need to worry about, now hurry up," Felix said. He opened a large, very elegant looking door. He paused in the doorway for a second then said, "Levi baby. I brought you a new boy toy."

"Felix, you are not my pimp!!!" I spat playfully in return.

At first I was hoping that I was going to get to meet Felix's secret lover, but then I realized the person he was talking to wasn't even a guy.

It was a girl wearing black sweatpants and a Metallica tee shirt. She had dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and pretty green eyes behind a pair of black rimmed glasses. She was curled up in a large chair with a book in her lap. That's when I realized that we were in a library.

She jumped up when she saw us. "Felix!" she shouted in surprise. "What are you doing here?! You didn't call or...or... who's that?" she gestured to me.

"Vic," Felix said simply.

"His lover," I say jokingly making Felix elbow me.

"Excuse me? Lover? Felix Carmichael how dare you?! Cheating in a relationship like that! What would Malorie think?!" the girl shouted.

"I thought she already knew," I say.

"What?!" she shouted. She was obviously really mad about this.

"What do you have a problem with his homosexiness?" I ask.

"What? No!" the girl said.

"Okay, okay both of you need to cut it out," Felix said. "First of all he was kidding, Levi. Second this argument is totally irrelevant. Now proper introductions Victor Allen Clay meet Rachel Levi Phaige."

"You don't have to use my whole name. That's weird," the girl said.

"Why do you have people call you Levi?" I ask.

"Again very irrelevant, Victor. Anyway, Levi I have some real bad news," Felix said.

"Oh God. What's wrong?" Levi asked.

"Vic and I were just attacked in our dorm room."

"They found you?" Levi asked. Felix nodded.

"Who found us?" I ask. Both Felix and Levi ignored me. "How rude," I mumbled.

"Well, you could talk to my mom. She would know what to do, but she won't be getting back until tonight and my dad's on a business trip so you'll have to wait here. You should probably tell Malorie where you are," Levi said.

Felix nodded and stepped into a corner to call his aunt. Levi and I were left in an awkward silence. "So, um...what are you reading?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

Levi examined me for a few moments before saying, "A Tale of Two Cities."

I smiled. "So you're a classics kind of girl?" I say.

She scoffed and sat back down. "I guess so." She opened her book again totally ignoring anything else I said.